📍 Ohio City

Masters of American Music: Kevin Richards and Kari Rutushin Perform The Music of Memphis Minnie

 

Start: March 25, 2026 8:30 pm
End: March 25, 2026 10:00 pm

Visible Voice Books
Address:
2258 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH – 44113

Admission Price: $ ($0 - $25)

A new monthly concert and storytelling series from Roots of American Music explores the artists who shaped the foundations of American music. Each month on the fourth Wednesday, a ROOTS performing artist will present the music, stories, and cultural context of a pioneering figure in American roots music on Visible Voice's beautifully restored stage at the new Ohio City location (4601 Lorain Ave). The series opens with a tribute to Memphis Minnie, performed by acclaimed Cleveland musicians Kevin T. Richards and Kari Ann Rutushin. Memphis Minnie was one of the most influential blues musicians of the 20th century. A groundbreaking guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose career spanned the 1920s through the 1950s, she recorded more than 250 songs and earned the nickname “Queen of the Country Blues.” Known for her dazzling guitar playing, glamorous stage presence, and fierce independence, Minnie helped define the sound of early blues and influenced generations of artists including Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Big Mama Thornton, and Led Zeppelin. Kevin T. Richards is a master of Piedmont-style fingerpicking guitar and the founder and former Executive Director of Roots of American Music, the Cleveland nonprofit he established in 1999. After more than two decades leading the organization, he continues to contribute as a performing artist, educator, and mentor within the ROOTS community. Joining him is vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kari Ann Rutushin, whose expressive voice and deep knowledge of early American music have made her a sought-after performer across the region. A singer-songwriter and teaching artist with Roots of American Music, Rutushin performs on ukulele, piano, washboard, and flute, and has spent more than a decade performing throughout Northeast Ohio in styles ranging from jazz and folk to blues and early swing. Together, Richards and Rutushin will bring Memphis Minnie’s music to life through performance, storytelling, and historical context. Admission: $15 at the door Proceeds support the mission of Roots of American Music, which educates, inspires, and connects communities across Northeast Ohio through live performances and arts-integrated music education programs in schools, senior centers, and community spaces.

 

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